


The Christmas Gala

by ghostmaya



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Christmas, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Klunk - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Polyamory, Well...implied eventual polyamory i guess ahahaha, it's just /very/ loose ended whoops, it's literally 3k of keith going through a gay crisis, still readable as a oneshot, voltronsecretsanta2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-05 04:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17912273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostmaya/pseuds/ghostmaya
Summary: “Staring off into the distance, getting easily distracted,” Lance started listing off, warning bells flaring in Keith’s mind. He held his breath, waiting for the blow. Lance grinned, and he hoped to god that Lance didn’t notice the beads of sweat crawling down his forehead. “You’re dating someone, aren’t you Kogane?”“Uh…” Fuck. This was bad. Lance was staring at him, and Keith was supposed to tell him who he’s dating, oh god, he needs to think of a name before Lance gets suspicious, like, right now. “It’s Hunk.”





	The Christmas Gala

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sachiela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sachiela/gifts).



> Hey ho it's ya girl, coming with this fic that I've been working on for too long to convince myself I'm ever going to finish it. This was made for the [Voltron Secret Santa](https://voltronsecretsanta2k18.tumblr.com/) event (yes, I'm aware that it's February), and it's for my lovely co-mod for the event, Sachiela (hopefully your AO3 is the same as your Tumblr)! I am /so/ sorry this took so long to post but it just kept getting longer and longer and IDEK what happened so I hope you like what came out of it. 
> 
> Warning: This fanfiction does not have a proper ending. It has an implied pathway up to audience interpretation but I'll probably never get around to writing it so I'm leaving this fic as a one-shot. Who knows, maybe more will happen, but no promises. I have probably one, max two more Voltron fics coming your way but after that I'm planning to move on to other fandoms. Enjoy!

“You’ve been acting weird lately,” said Lance, pointing an accusatory spatula at Keith. 

It was a Sunday afternoon, and the coffee shop was busy, but not in a chaotic way. There were a few regulars sprawled across the cafe. Most of the others had already settled down, busy doing their own work or quietly chatting. It would have made for a peaceful shift, if it wasn’t him and Lance alone. 

Heat rushed to his cheeks, and he turned to the cappuccino machine that filled a mug with steamed milk. “What’re you talking about? No I haven’t.” He tapped cinnamon into the mug a bit more aggressively than he needed to. He knew he wasn’t the best at hiding his feelings, but he hadn’t realized he was being  _ that _ obvious. This wasn’t good. 

“ _ See _ . You’re doing it again.”

“Doing  _ what _ again?” It came out sharper than intended; an improvement from his squeaky crush voice. He had to keep a straight face, but there was no use, Lance was onto him. The customer rolled her eyes at him as he exchanged the mug for payment and went back to the machine, wiping it down quickly. His heart beat in his ears, and his cheeks still felt hot enough to fry an egg on. 

He managed to shake their workplace rivalry a couple of months ago, but the blossoming friendship went a bit too well.  Sure, he thought Lance was attractive, but never  _ romantically _ attractive . Well, up until a week ago.

Keith, Lance and Hunk had gone out to see a movie, which wasn’t anything new. The three of them have gone out together before that, and it was perfectly fine. It was more than fine actually, Keith loved spending time with both of them. Then, Keith, the stupid naive gay that he was, offered to give Lance a ride back to the college dorms.

The roads were quiet, illuminated by the soft yellow light of the street lamps. They teased each other like normal, and Keith’s stomach flipped, but he didn’t pay attention. It was only when he got to his bike that he felt that rush of adrenaline as he realized how  _ close _ the two of them were about to get. The thought made him giddy, exhilarated, and scared as fuck. 

That night he couldn’t sleep, the tingling sensation of Lance’s arms around his waist keeping him wide awake. The way that Lance looked at him after, his irises dark and hypnotizing… and for a moment Keith let himself imagine himself leaning forwards… following Lance into his house… 

“Earth to Keith!” singsonged Lance, snapping him out of his trance. The sound almost caused him to spill the coffee that he’d been stirring for longer than necessary. “Not acting weird  _ my ass _ mister.” 

Lance smirked at him playfully, and Keith deepened his frown as the heat reached the tips of his ears. He didn’t bother responding to Lance, instead working the cashier. He gave the customer an apologetic glance on behalf of his increasingly disruptive co-worker, sending him off with his coffee.

“Well if you aren’t going to tell me, I guess I’ll just have to figure it out myself then. And I think I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.” He gave Keith a mischievous look, and his breath got stuck in his throat.

Lance  _ couldn’t _ know, could he? Usually Keith’s crushes went away after a couple of weeks, and Keith was  _ not _ willing to ruin this friendship with his stupid feelings. If Lance knew, all of their progress could go down the drain. Shifts with Lance were already awkward as is, but if Lance figured out his crush who  _ knows  _ what would happen. Keith would probably end up quitting, and then he’d be too embarrassed to talk with Lance, and in the process he’d also lose touch with Hunk, and he’d go back to square one.

Keith still couldn’t understand how a human being could be as perfect as Hunk. Well, maybe he was a bit nosy, and his irrational fears could get annoying at times, but everything else about him outweighed his flaws by a landslide. About two days after Keith’s revelation about Lance, Hunk noticed. The three of them work a shift together Tuesday afternoon, and Hunk confronted him about it after. Keith told him. He didn’t even regret telling him; he had someone to gush about Lance’s flawless skin, selflessness, personality, and, well, everything to. Hunk was a great listener too, which was a really nice change of pace.

“Staring off into the distance, getting easily distracted,” Lance started listing off, warning bells flaring in Keith’s mind. He held his breath, waiting for the blow. Lance grinned, and he hoped to god that Lance didn’t notice the beads of sweat crawling down his forehead.  “You’re dating someone, aren’t you Kogane?”

Keith stared at Lance’s smug face, and blinked. Oh. “Haha, yup. You caught me. Nice going.” 

He could have sworn, for a split second, that Lance pinched his lips in disappointment. It must have been his imagination though. Wishful thinking. 

“Oh my  _ god _ I’m so proud of you, finally coming out of your emo shell,” said Lance, ruffling Keith’s hair. He glared at Lance, his heart beating ten times faster than it was before. “Now, tell me all about them. What’s their name? Oh my god do I know them?  _ Who is it Keith _ . Tell me, tell me!”

“Uh…” _Fuck_. Keith did not think this through. This was bad. Lance was staring at him, and Keith was supposed to tell him about who he’s dating, _oh god he needs to think of a name before Lance gets suspicious, like, right now_. “It’s Hunk.” 

“What!?” Lance shrieked, turning a few heads. “Waiwaiwaiwait,” he said, quieter, “Did you just say you’re dating  _ Hunk _ ?”

Oh no. This was bad. This was very bad. Hunk was going to murder him. Would he even go along with this? They barely knew each other. It wasn’t like Keith had much of a choice here, if Hunk didn’t agree he was done for. 

“Uh… yes?” 

The door chimed, and in came a loud family. They may have been another customer to Lance, but to Keith they were his ticket out of here. “Can you deal with these guys? I gotta use the bathroom.”

He didn’t even wait for Lance to reply before sprinting into the back and pulling out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until Hunk’s name came up. He hit call, and pressed the phone to his ear. One ring, no answer. Two rings, nothing. Keith  _ had _ to get to Hunk before Lance did or else he was going to be in major shit. 

“Hello?”

“Hunk. Problem,” he whispered, pacing around the room in sync with his wildly beating heart.

“Keith, buddy, slow down there,” Hunk’s soothing voice said in his ear, “Aren’t you at work right now? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is  _ not _ okay.” He took in a breath, trying to gather himself so he didn’t sound like an idiot. “Lance confronted me about acting weird...”

“Oh no, did he find out?”

“No.”

“Okay so that’s good then! Right?”

“Well, he thought I was dating someone.”

“ _ Okay _ and - Oh no. What did you tell him Keith?”

Keith stopped in his tracks, and scrunched up his face, preparing for the blow. “I told him that we’re dating.”

“What!?” yelled Hunk, Keith pulling the phone away from his ear in pain.  “Oh no, oh nononono that isn’t good Keith, oh  _ god _ why’d you have to tell him it was  _ me _ ! You could’ve just made up a name or something I dunno!” 

“I panicked! And why’re you making it sound like dating me is the end of the world…” an involuntary frown tugged down Keith’s mouth. Obviously Hunk didn’t do anything wrong; Keith was sole person to blame in this situation, but it still kind of hurt to hear. “I mean, if it’s really that awful I get it, I’ll figure something out - ”

“No! I uh mean, that’s not what I meant. I-  _ ugh _ \- I’ll help with your stupid mess but  _ only _ because I value your friendship, okay? And also because I want to see this play out.”

“Really?” The thrum of Keith’s heart finally began to slow, as Hunk’s acceptance sunk in. “ _ Thank you _ , you’re actually the best. You don’t know how much this means to me. I owe you, like, I don’t even know, but I owe you.”

“Yeah, you definitely do,” scoffed Hunk. “So, when do you want to break up?”

Keith blinked. Breaking up hadn’t even occurred to him, but once Hunk said it he wanted to slap himself for not realizing how obvious a solution it was. “Uh. Soon? But we have to make the relationship convincing first.”

“Okay, fair. Oh! A friend of mine, Allura- uh her family is hosting a fancy Christmas Gala thing for charity? Well I have a plus one, so we should go together! Unless you don’t want to of course, no pressure or anything, I know parties aren’t really your thing.”

“Lance will be there?” asked Keith.

“Yup.”

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

 

Keith stared at himself in the mirror. He had to borrow a suit from Shiro because he didn’t own one, and he felt so weird wearing it. The button-up was a bit too tight on him, while the suit jacket was a too big, making for an unusually uncomfortable situation. He looked too foreign wearing it, he was barely recognizable. 

The reality of his situation hadn’t really set in yet, and knowing him it wouldn’t set in until halfway through the night. Usually he made it through parties by getting drunk, but he was the designated driver this time around.

His phone buzzed on his dresser, pulling his gaze back from the clouds. He looked over to see it was a notification saying ‘10 minutes before Hunk pickup’. Right. He was going to pick up Hunk for their fake date. The thought made his stomach flip, probably because he hadn’t actually seen Hunk since before that fatal phone call.

It was already dark outside, the Winter Solstice having been a couple nights ago. Hunk had explained that the Altea family hosted a Christmas Gala every year in honour of Melenor, Allura’s mother, and the apparent founder of the Juniper Cancer Foundation. He’d vaguely heard of it before, but hearing it from Hunk made him feel bad that he didn’t have anything spare to donate. 

The cold winter air bit at the half of Keith’s face that wasn't covered by his helmet as he drove. Why couldn’t have teenager him learned to drive a car like a normal person? Hunk was an engineer major, he should get him to design a motorcycle that keeps its riders warm, and then give it to Keith for free. Why the fuck did he wear fingerless gloves again?

Keith pulled into Hunk’s apartment lot. Before Keith even reached for his phone, Hunk came out, dressed to the nines. He wore grey dress pants and coat, with a white button up underneath. The tie he wore was yellow, matching the colour of the Chrysanthemum that was tucked into his lapel. He grinned, and Keith’s entire world melted because he had absolutely no right to look that stunning. The smile was contagious, and Keith couldn’t help but grin back, his heart thrumming in his ears. 

“Ready to go?”

“Uh, yes. Right. We’re going. Lemme just -” he fumbled for his keys single-handed as he held his helmet in his other hand. Right, helmet. He almost dropped his keys.  _ God _ why was he always such a mess. He glanced over to Hunk, who was still smiling patiently, because of course he was. Hunk never got irritated at him for being a dumbass, and was patient to no end. He held out the spare helmet. “Here.”

Hunk took it and fastened it onto his head. He approached the bike cautiously, seeming hesitant. “Should I just- So do I just hold on to you?”   


“Yeah. There’s more room back there than there looks, don’t worry. Plus, seats already heated up, as to be expected from your chaperone.” 

Hunk chuckled and seated himself behind Keith. Arms wound around his stomach. Keith could feel Hunk’s gentle breaths on the back of his neck. “That good?” asked Hunk. 

His arms were so soft and gentle, Keith could imagine staying like this forever. Unfortunately, a grip like that would mean certain death for at least one of them. Hint: It wasn’t Keith. “Yeah, you’re gonna want hold tighter than that.”

The arms squeezed a bit tighter. It was good enough, and knowing Hunk, as soon as they hit the highway, personal space wouldn’t be the first thing on Hunk’s mind.

* * *

 

“This is a mansion,” said Keith. ‘Mansion’ didn’t even do it justice; this was a castle. It was marble white, with blue accents running along the windowsills and different sections. It was so smooth that the moonlight bounced off of it, making it glow. It was beautiful, and way out of Keith’s league. 

“Yup.” Hunk popped the ‘p’. He let go of Keith, and he shivered from being exposed to the cool December air. He reluctantly got off the bike after the other, and he couldn’t stop staring at the mansion.

“How do you know this Allura anyways?” he asked, the two of them making their way to the front doors.

“I know this sounds crazy, but she actually had the same job as Lance and I a few years back. It was an awful job, too, we were retail workers at Walmart,” Hunk laughed, and Keith looked at him, his eyes crinkled, with dimples complimenting his smile. Cute. “She said that she wanted to get the working class experience, which she  _ definitely _ got.”

Keith could already hear the dulled Christmas music playing from inside as the two of them slowly made their way across the packed driveway. It probably wasn’t even called a driveway, it was large enough to sport all the guest vehicles. It was hard to believe Hunk and Lance were friends with the person who lived here. 

“Yeah, I can imagine. I’m impressed you’re still friends with her, rich friend perks?” Keith offered.

“Oh she’s actually great, we’re genuinely good friends. Lance was unabashedly crushing on her for a while- ah, shit, sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay,” said Keith, confused as to why Hunk thought it was an issue, “it’s not like Lance still has feelings for her anymore, right?”

“Not that I know of.” The conversation was interrupted as they finally made it to the front of the line. Hunk showed the security his invitation on his phone. “And Keith here’s my plus one,” he said, looking at Keith with a smirk, and gave him a wink.  _ A flirty wink _ . 

Heat rushed to the tips of Keith’s ears, even though he knew it Hunk was only playing a part. The two of them shuffled inside, the temperature immediately shifting. They followed the crowd across the main hall, which was covered from floor to ceiling in Christmas decor, towards the dying music as the song ended. The hall was only filled with dulled chatter for a moment, and then the feedback clicked from the other room, the crowd subconsciously waiting for the next song to begin.

“I~” Mariah Carey’s voice belted. Keith’s eyes widened, sucking in a breath. Was he on a prank show? This had to be some sort of joke.

“Don’t want a lot for Christmas~” 

Keith looked over to Hunk. He was wearing the exact same expression of horror.

“There is just one thing I need~”

They’d endured listening to this goddamn song almost every day since November 1st. For the past two weeks it’s been at least twice a day. Keith was pretty sure it was impossible to still like this song after working a minimum wage job. Well, he knew one person who did.

“I don’t care about the presents~”

They entered the ballroom, the air stuffy and humid from the crowd, the smell of mint and ginger subtly wafting through the air. 

“Underneath the Christmas tree~”

The hall was barely decorated compared to how  _ Christmas _ the ballroom was. There were bowls of giant candy canes, a giant Christmas tree in the corner, mistletoe hanging from ornaments, and ornaments hanging from Christmas lights. Keith had somehow managed to find himself in his own personal hell.

“I just want you for my own~”

Most people were dancing, or at least standing on the dance-floor; an unappealing pool of potential social interaction.  _ Remember why you’re here _ . He sighed, and followed Hunk to the dance-floor, glancing through all the faces, searching, searching.

And there he was.

“More than you could ever know~”

Lance Mc-fucking-Clain, belting his _heart_ _out_ , on _stage_.

Why did Keith like him again?

Lance looked at him straight in the eye, giving him that  _ goddamn _ smirk. Keith glared back at him, glared at the red and green lights radiating off of him, at his stupid tuxedo with his stupid blue polkadot bowtie. He glared, and Lance grinned, holding out his hand dramatically.

“Make my wish come true~”

He knew Lance was performing, but as he sang along to the words of this monstrosity of a song, his expression had a bite. He was toying with Keith.

“All I want for Christmas~”

Lance’s eyes burned with something, reminding Keith of when they still had their stupid rivalry. He frowned, drowning in that gaze, following the bait like a fish. 

“Is~” 

Lance turned, keeping his eyes trained on Keith, making sure Keith followed that lingering gaze until the last millisecond. He turned to a beautiful woman with dyed white hair, who Keith just noticed was on stage.

“You~”

Lance dipped the girl, and kissed her on the lips.

A choking sort of squeal came out of Keith’s throat. Mariah Carey continued to sing, but the song didn’t matter anymore. There were so many people. They all saw that. What  _ was _ that? What. Lance. He kissed a girl. But he directed it at Keith. Did he know? Why did he do that? Keith had to get out of here, he had to leave the crowd, he needed to leave right now. He was frozen. His blood was boiling.

“Keith.”

Hunk. His hand was on his arm, his dark eyes on Keith, searching Keith’s face for something. 

Keith’s eyes wandered to the stage

“Hey,” said Hunk, his voice gentle. “You alright?”

“Y-yeah.”

Hunk grabbed his chin, forcing Keith to look up at his face. He had a fire in his eyes, stern, but comforting. His bottom lip jutted out in a pout, and if Keith were a couple of inches taller leaning forward would have locked their lips together. He could feel Hunk’s breath on his forehead, and it sent a shiver down his spine. “Don’t pay attention to the stage. Let’s dance.”

And with a smile like that, how could Keith say no? 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments + kudos are always appreciated, whether it's four hours or ten years after posting I'm happy to hear your thoughts :D
> 
> As always, you can find me on my [Tumblr](https://ghost-maya.tumblr.com/) or [Writeblr](https://ghostmayawrites.tumblr.com/) (I take asks about my fics there). 
> 
> Look out for the [Summer Lovin' Voltron Zine](https://summer-lovin-zine.tumblr.com/) coming out soon, I'm in that one!


End file.
